Like working in the media, the best way get started in development is to volunteer. The cost of living in countries like Cambodia or Peru are so much less than Australia or the US. So it’s likely you could support yourself for months in a country seeking volunteers, with only a few months of savings from a job in a developed country. If you want to continue with your experience, paths to a funded role supporting development should emerge. It’s likely you’ll need to actively pursue those paths, but such fundraising is a typical part development work.

Travel informs my work and vice versa. I rarely take holidays, rather I’ll work some of the time and immerse myself in local culture in other time. This keeps my work fresh, mind active and life interesting. Travel aside, I’m focused on productivity rather than presenteeism. I discussed why in this podcast series I presented about women entrepreneurs in science, engineering and technology.

I don’t have that much stuff . I haven’t had a car for several years, though I’ve still a license and use work cars when I need to. I rode a motorcycle every day when I was living in Thailand because the traffic pollution made cycling too much of a health risk. I tend to give away or sell most of my possessions when I move between countries – it’s a great form of catharsis.